Bad Practice at Fairs and Bootsales

[edelweiss123]

Hello everyone!

As we all visit fairs and bootsales i thought i would share with you something i saw a few weeks back. At a local bootsale, someone was selling 2 kukris, a chap who deems himself a "militaria expert" (although when talking to him he knows very litte) was asking questions about them. He was shocked at the price, £20 each, and then got a screwdriver out of his pocket and started tapping the blade with it. Im sorry, but if they were mine, the kukri would have been lodged somewhere not so pleasant. One question, why would he be doing that? He just tapped them, grunted and walked away?

I'd also like to hear some of the stories about bad etiquette that you may have witnessed whilst out and about?

Thanks

[KradSpam]

Militaria version of tire kicking I'm guessing; he had no clue what to look for and wanted to look like he was carefully deliberating. In his mind he was probably testing the blade was steel, as we all know tapping with a screwdriver is the best way to determine this........ he would have had the back end of a Bren gun wrapped round his chops if they were mine.

A guy wanted to scratch the decal on one of my helmets to test if it was genuine. I declined

[sargetom]

I had a fellow come to a garage sale my wife was having and he was looking for military items was very forward and arogant-anyway I got talking to him and it turned out he was trying to by a Flight jacket from a WWII B-17 Veteran who I happen to know as he was a member of my Veterans of Foreign Wars Post. Anyway next time I saw this Vet at a meeting I asked him if he knew this gentleman. Apparently thid guy was hounding this poor guy incessantly to buy this jacket. Lesson is; there is nothing wrong with asking a vet if he's interested in selling his service aquired souveniers but once you are told "No" it should end there, nothing wrong however with leaving name and address if vet does change his/her mind

[edelweiss123]

Another thing that annoys me is when someone has had a good buy, and they then decide to tell the seller that the item was worth a lot more and they will make money on it.

[Jerry B]

Another thing that annoys me is when someone has had a good buy, and they then decide to tell the seller that the item was worth a lot more and they will make money on it.

Very bad form that, we all like a bargain, but in the main it is best kept to ourselfs and certainly not something you tell the person you just bought it from. I am always honest and admit I don't want to pay top market price for items as that means if or when I sell them I can do so at below market price again and the next buyer is happy. sometimes it is hard not to tell others if you have had a real bargain,but rarely do I like to openly tell people that, here or elsewhere, though I will say that I got something for a good price, but what exactly I paid is probably not something to be shared. I had a couple of good deals yesterday, but I wont be selling them for a long time to come and even then I will be asking for a sensible price. Always best that way as everyone is happy IMHO.

[ruddersrangers44]

You guys must have been around a lot longer than me,i havn't yet met an "honest john" true to his word,to me there all out and out crooks,interested in just one thing,screwing the general public other,and why do they all think that we came over on the banana boat.the problem with Boot fairs is that the dealers are on the prowl before the gates open,and pray on anyone selling something they dont really know much about and bang there straight in with an insulting price just so they can re-sell back on there own stall for stupid money.they should pack up and stick to gardening as that way they cant do any harm,ebay is still a better place than any fair iv'e been too................Jake.

[Wagriff]

I was attending a coin show one day some while ago and a little elderly lady had brought in some of her deceased husbands coins to sell as she needed the money for her expenses. Unfortunately, Just before I had arrived, she had just finished selling a dealer 2 1936 US Proof Sets still in their brown cardboard shipping boxes. She had not walked 10 feet away from his table when he turned to the dealer next to him at the next table and began jumping up and down and literally doing a jig, all the while loudly laughing and telling the guy "2 '36 brown boxed Proof Sets! 75 bucks for Both!!". Each set was worth more than four thousand dollars.... And this guy was a quite well-known coin dealer...

[edelweiss123]

I was attending a coin show one day some while ago and a little elderly lady had brought in some of her deceased husbands coins to sell as she needed the money for her expenses. Unfortunately, Just before I had arrived, she had just finished selling a dealer 2 1936 US Proof Sets still in their brown cardboard shipping boxes. She had not walked 10 feet away from his table when he turned to the dealer next to him at the next table and began jumping up and down and literally doing a jig, all the while loudly laughing and telling the guy "2 '36 brown boxed Proof Sets! 75 bucks for Both!!". Each set was worth more than four thousand dollars.... And this guy was a quite well-known coin dealer...

The guy needs to be shot! I understand that people need to make money on items, but not to the point of completely ripping someone off to that extent!

[ruddersrangers44]

Exactly vicky last year a well known dealer offered me a kangol beret dated 1944 mine for £150 but he did say they usually go for £700 yeh right,bargain then i said dont think so do you?second thoughts better have two just in case............total crook at its worst.

[Sir Payne]

There are a lot of scumbags out there, but there are some good guys to